Drip drip drip feeding the mortgage

tjp70

Sadly, Missy the cat went to heaven today. She was given heavy sedation and fell asleep in DH's arms. I gave her a big hug and said goodbye and left the vets to administer the jab. We are heartbroken.

Radish72

Sorry to hear your news

tjp70

It’s been quite a while since I posted. I never seem to find the time.

The bad news first:

We were very upset about our cat dying, and then FIL died not long after. He had been ill for quite a long time but it was still a shock. We don’t live too close to MIL so we have been making an extra effort to call and visit more often.

Then we get to the ****ing conservatory. It’s still leaking, despite numerous attempts to fix it. Recently the glazing company sent a new fitter round to have a look and he noticed that the entire roof has been put on incorrectly :mad: This means that when they come to fix it, everything has to come off and start from scratch. I am assuming that they will damage the plasterwork and paintwork, possibly the flooring, but I will worry about that as and when it happens.

We have had a quote for the garden and it has come in at a whopping £5500:eek: We only have a tiny garden! Whilst thinking about what to do, we have removed the overgrown shrubs and trees, so now I look out of my window at a sea of mud and ivy. Ideally we need the conservatory finished before we embark on the garden in case any of the conservatory works damage the garden.

The good news:

We have two little male kittens and they are just great. :j They make me smile every day. This does affect getting new sofas because they like to shred everything (and anyone) so new sofas would be very expensive cat toys :rotfl:

I have lost 8lbs, slow but steady progress without depriving myself too much :j

I am continuing the walking and I am on target to walk my 500 miles by mid November.

The non-MSE news:

Despite having a holiday to Italy booked for August, I seem to have booked another holiday I am not quite sure how it happened, but I am working hard to pay for it and am really looking forward to it.

Mortgage news:

I am doing quite well with the overpayments this year so far. The monthly overpayments go in as clockwork and I supplement these with Tillytidies. £1220.58 overpaid this year so far, at this rate I will overpay more than last year which is my target :j

I have joined FairyClicks April challenge to make £1/day to overpay, more as an incentive to get ebaying and declutter some of the ebay/charity shop pile that is accumulating.

That's all for now. I will try and post a little more frequently than quarterly :rotfl:

tjp70

When I came home from work today, I found a very industrious DS who had decided to clean out the cupboard in his bedroom, with a view to listing it all on eBay. There is a huge pile of stuff, some of which is more suitable for a car boot than eBay.

We took some photos and I can see a weekend of slaving over the computer :mad:

tjp70

Yesterday was a day of compromises. The kids have been badgering me to go to H@rvester but I wanted to do something cheaper. I would have liked to take them to see a movie too but at £40 for the four of us, that's way too much money for my liking.

So we ended up having a takeaway and buying a movie for £3 from Mr A. Plus there is enough food left for the boys of the house to have Chinese for lunch too.

This morning DD and I are off volunteering and this afternoon will consist of laundry, food shopping and yet more eBaying.

tjp70

Happy Easter everyone.

Yesterday was an odd day, DD and I went to do some volunteering but it was not great. We help out at a cat rescue centre, which is about 15 miles away from our house. The only time we can help out is a Saturday morning, which is also a time when they are cleaning out the pens. We always feel like we are in the way, plus there is the added complication of not having enough keys to access the building. Yesterday we had to borrow someone else's key, which she eventually needed back. Once the key was gone, we could do nothing to help so we came home. I didn't think volunteering would be like this. Naively I had hoped that we would become part of a team, rather than a nuisance. Like most busy working people, my spare time is valuable so I don't want to waste it. Or waste all the fuel to get there either. We will have to see how it goes next week and review it then.

The afternoon was spent food shopping, then eBaying, a quick walk then the day was gone. We spent a lot of money at Mr T. We don't usually have a roast but I thought it would be nice for Easter Sunday so we bought a shoulder of lamb. Plus my favourite wine was half price plus an extra 25% off if you bought six bottles. I thought it would be rude not to :rotfl:

I have had a lovely lazy morning so far but now I feel I should get up and do something, so I'll catch up with you all later.

tjp70

It was a busy afternoon yesterday in the end. I did 2½ hours work, whilst the washing machine was going round, then added yet more things onto eBay and then finished that all off with cooking lovely roast lamb. I am really pleased with the joint that we bought. Whilst it was expensive, there is lots leftover to make a second meal. Just need to think what to make!

I have been working this morning already although tbh I am not really in the mood. I've only done 30 mins.

One of my ebay items has received a bid overnight and one of DS has also.

Yesterday I opened a monthly saver account as it had a better interest rate than my regular savings account. Tomorrow I will need to set up the standing order for that.

I am not sure what today holds. It may be a lazy day but DS will probably have me doing yet more ebaying :mad: I have forewarned him that he will be helping with the packing and posting.

Have a good day everyone.

tjp70

Last month we received the horrendous news that a family member had died suddenly. He was not ill beforehand, just caught a virus and was unable to fight it and died. To make matters worse, he was a similar age to DH, and he leaves behind a lovely wife and two children younger than our own. The funeral was horrendous, hideously sad.

This has had a massive impact on DH & myself, and we are viewing life very differently. One of the things that has hit home for me, is that no matter how much I try, my mortgage will not be paid off any earlier than November 2015. I can do tillytidies and ebay till the cows come home but until those endowment policies pay out, the mortgage will remain. At the moment, the ebaying and tillytidies just increase the surplus from the endowments by a little, not a lot. However, if I was hit by a bus tomorrow, the mortgage would be paid off by the endowments and all my efforts would be for nothing.

So I have come to a decision. I shall leave the £30 weekly OP standing order in place and the £175 monthly one too, but I will not be making any additional OPs and will not be spending so much effort on them either.

Now I know this is the opposite of the MFW philosophy but it was starting to take over my life and I want to enjoy what life I have.

icontinuetodream

tjp70 wrote: »

Last month we received the horrendous news that a family member had died suddenly. He was not ill beforehand, just caught a virus and was unable to fight it and died. To make matters worse, he was a similar age to DH, and he leaves behind a lovely wife and two children younger than our own. The funeral was horrendous, hideously sad.

This has had a massive impact on DH & myself, and we are viewing life very differently. One of the things that has hit home for me, is that no matter how much I try, my mortgage will not be paid off any earlier than November 2015. I can do tillytidies and ebay till the cows come home but until those endowment policies pay out, the mortgage will remain. At the moment, the ebaying and tillytidies just increase the surplus from the endowments by a little, not a lot. However, if I was hit by a bus tomorrow, the mortgage would be paid off by the endowments and all my efforts would be for nothing.

So I have come to a decision. I shall leave the £30 weekly OP standing order in place and the £175 monthly one too, but I will not be making any additional OPs and will not be spending so much effort on them either.

Now I know this is the opposite of the MFW philosophy but it was starting to take over my life and I want to enjoy what life I have.

so sorry to hear about your family member don't worry about your priorities changing...you have to live the life which is right for you :grouphug:

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi TJP70, I can absolute understand how you feel. Life changing losses tip our lives upside down - enjoy your journey in whichever direction it takes you. Plus don't be surprised if your focus doesn't change as you travel along your chosen path.

I wish you peace and contentment for whichever path you choose

My very best wishes

Tilly x